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(The Hosting News) – For companies and individuals who need the privacy and security of dedicated server space while still retaining some of the cost advantages of shared server solutions, virtual private servers (VPS) are a solid choice for data storage and application management. In many cases, application developers find it much more efficient to work within VPS hosting environments due to some of the unique characteristics of these computing systems.

Starting from scratch

A developer VPS is fully customizable, allowing programmers, web designers and developers to install only those applications necessary for the proper performance of the software under development. This allows the computing environment to be completely configured around the project, making it easier to see the effects of various changes to the code. This bare-bones approach ensures that any conflicts or problems can be more quickly identified and corrected during the initial stages of the project, since these errors will not be confused with software conflicts or features of other programs.

Cloud computing capability

VPS hosting sites offer anytime, anywhere access to the testing environment for developers, making it easier to work as a team to complete vital application development tasks. More than just a passing fad in the computing industry, cloud computing provides exceptional accessibility and makes it simpler than ever for diverse and geographically separated teams of individuals to work together seamlessly within one developer VPS environment. This functionality can also help to spur productivity and creativity by allowing developers to access their ongoing projects whenever inspiration strikes and to test their ideas in a secure, virtually risk-free environment.

Protection for vital corporate infrastructure

Because the testing and development VPS is kept intentionally separate from other parts of the company’s IT infrastructure, any errors, crashes or other negative effects of the development process are segregated from the other ongoing operations of the corporate unit. This can eliminate any conflicts and ensure that these corporate IT assets are protected throughout the application development process.

Greater flexibility in development tool choices

Because developer VPS environments can be fully customized and need not use the same web server technologies as the company’s main server, it is possible to test and develop applications in a variety of different environments and operating systems. Depending on the type of application and the intended operating environment, developers can choose from a wide range of options including Linux or Windows environments along with an array of development platforms, each of which have their own special advantages and challenges. Multiple VPS testing environments are also possible for applications that are intended to work on a number of different platforms.

Website development

Another advantage specifically for developing websites on a Linux is or Windows VPS the ability to see changes before they go live. Companies can even set aside multiple VPS environments for each of their websites to ensure that not only is the website backed up on a regular basis, but that any changes can be observed for a period of time before being applied to the live website. This can reduce or eliminate costly downtime and ensure that enhancements work as they are intended when they reach the end user.

Quality assurance

After the initial testing phase is completed, the development team can submit their project, website or application to quality assurance testers within the company simply by creating logins for this purpose. Because the testing environment is also the development platform, any errors or faults in the software can be corrected on the fly without extensive copying or physical transfer of the data. This makes the entire process faster, more efficient and less costly, allowing companies to go from the initial planning phase to delivery to the customer much more quickly than before and can allow for more extensive testing while still meeting established deadlines for clients.

Developer VPS: Design, Develop and Deliver Faster

Unless you have a web hosting deal with unlimited disk space, you have likely been concerned about conserving disk space at one time or another. Even if you do have unlimited disk space at your disposal, it is still sometimes helpful to know how much space your websites are using and which sections in particular are taking up the most space.

For dedicated server and VPS users, there are several ways to check disk space, but a shared hosting user may be limited to the web-based control panel. Fortunately, cPanel provides a disk space usage section that is integrated with the control panel’s file manager tool. With it you can view your total disk space usage and also look at how much space each sub-directory within your home directory is using.

The first item in the bar graph will show you “files in the home directory”. That includes all files in your account. The second refers to files in hidden directories (those with a “.” before their name). It then lists several of the directories in your system, including the directory containing your website files. It will also show you the total disk space usage for your MySQL databases and mailing lists. Finally, at the bottom, it shows total disk space usage, and below that, it will show your quota. If you have unlimited space available, the quota will be “999,999.00 MB quota limit”

For any of the directories listed, you can click on their name to open your file manager in a new tab/window. The file manager displays individual directory and file sizes. For more information about the disk usage feature or other components of cPanel, see the cPanel documentation.

How to View Disk Space Usage in cPanel

(The Hosting News) – One of the most important trends in IT for small and medium-sized businesses is the use of virtualization to centralize data storage and increase overall network performance. If your business uses a shared or local hosting solution, you may have heard a number of sales pitches detailing why a virtual server is a better solution than a more traditional option. While there is a great deal of hype currently surrounding the virtual market, virtual private servers (VPS) do offer a number of substantial benefits over the use of a shared server option.

VPS Basics

A VPS functions by creating a virtualized “layer” between the hardware of a server and its operating system. This layer allows the server to be divided into slices that can be used by multiple tenants, each of which can install operating systems and applications without interfering with others on the server. One of the most common ways that this dividing takes place is by the use of a hypervisor – a program which manages virtual servers by creating partitions, which are logically separated from each other in a system. One parent partition is required and then multiple child partitions can be created, each of which may be occupied by a different tenant.

Hyper-V and the Virtual Server

The most popular hypervisor on the market is made by Microsoft and is called Hyper-V. It was released in 2008 and a Hyper-V VPS can function either on its own or come as part of a package with Windows 2008 R2. A Hyper-V VPS allows for the detailed management of resources on a virtual system, meaning that things I/O and bandwidth use are continually monitored in order to maximize performance. The nature of the partition created by Hyper-V in a virtual private server also means that while tenants on the server have access to resources, all access is virtual – they cannot directly access the physical process or deal with real interrupts. This means that while users on a Hyper-V VPS can scale up their resources as necessary, they cannot perform actions that would damage the stability of the entire server or reduce performance for other users.

The Combination with Windows 2008 R2

While Hyper-V can be run as a standalone server, a Windows 2008 VPS in combination with this hypervisor can offer a number of advantages for your business. These come mainly through the features offered by Windows 2008 R2 such as live migration and failover clustering. Live migration allows an entire virtual server to be moved between different physical machines without first stopping the application, while failover clustering (also known as high availability or HA) allows groups of redundant computers to provide continued service even if system components fail. In combination with Hyper-V, a Windows 2008 R2 VPS can also be a viable link to the cloud, which is the next step in fully virtualizing a system. Instead of relying on a single server to provide service for a hosted system, the cloud focuses on using multiple, redundant systems to ensure continued performance, and a Hyper-V/Windows 2008 solution provides an easy access point for your business to transition from virtual technology to a public, private or hybrid cloud.

Virtual server technology is rapidly evolving, and maximizing your IT dollars means finding a solution that not only provides performance by scalability. Windows 2008 R2 in concert with the Hyper-V hypervisor acts as a solution that gives total isolation on a server while still letting you enjoy the benefits of live migration of services and HA failover clusters in order to yield the greatest amount of stability.

Windows 2008 & Hyper-V: A Virtual Server Solution for Today

Security through obscurity rarely works as well as one would hope. Instead, you run the risk of being hit by an anonymous hacker who found you through a random vulnerability scan. In the old days FTP was the best option for transferring files from your computer to your website. Those days are long over, but many still use FTP, thinking it is the only option. But for real security, you should take a look at SFTP or SCP.

Both transfer methods, SFTP and SCP, use public key encryption to ensure that your data stays safe from prying eyes during transfer. With FTP, your login information is sent in plain text, making it easy for a third party to intercept it. In both alternatives, the “S” stands for “secure”, and that is exactly what you need when you are transferring data.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is run over a secure channel (i.e. SSH – Secure Shell). That means that the login information and data stream are encrypted with whatever technology your server uses (usually OpenSSH).

Limitations and Concerns

Because it uses SSH, you will need an SSH login to use it. Some web hosts are reluctant to give shared hosting users shell access, but they may give you a secure login with the shell disabled. Good hosts will usually give users some type of SSH access upon request. If you have a VPS or dedicated server, you should already have access.

Another possible limitation is that you will need to use an FTP client that supports SFTP. Fortunately, most modern clients do. For example, FileZilla is a cross-platform, free and open source client that supports SFTP and many other protocols.

For more information about SFTP, see this documentation. For SCP information, visit this site.

Want Security? Abandon FTP for SFTP

(The Hosting News) – Accommodating ecommerce has proven to be extremely beneficial to many businesses. The ability to accept online payments means that there are no closing hours. With today’s 24/7 shopping experience, your sales can increase significantly, depending on your industry. This is why it is necessary for you to find a reliable, secure and relevant ecommerce solution. With all the options, eCommerce VPS plans have proven to be among the most suitable.

Using ecommerce means being able to accept credit cards, debit cards, payment credits, as well as PayPal or Google Checkout payments. It also means that you can build a market in almost any country if you offer products via shipping. A useful solution usually comes with accounting assistance and some are a simple one click installation. However, depending on how complicated or intricate the system needs to be, you may have more to do. Overall, it depends on which solution you choose.

To activate an e-payment system, you merely choose one from one of the many companies that are offering this software. Some are basic systems, while others feature advanced settings. VPS providers may provide these as add-on services or at no extra cost with the hosting package you select, but you would be restricted to the ones they have partnered with. This is not always unfortunate since some are more than adequate; however, you can opt to purchase your ecommerce software from a different company that suits you.

Regardless of the route you take, you will need a site to operate your payment solution, since the site is essentially your store. The payment system is your virtual cashier so it must first be placed somewhere your customers can find it. Your site gives you an online presence and allows customer access. It also needs to be hosted. You can either choose a traditional shared hosting plan or spend extra for an option that allows more privacy. Using a VPS server to host your online business means you have enough space and resources available to implement your ecommerce system.

It also means that as your business and traffic grow, your site can grow; plus, you can adjust your ecommerce offerings to match your expansion. The main benefit of VPS hosting is that it allows the control and flexibility that you will not get on a shared server hosting package. Furthermore, it is cheaper than dedicated server hosting; therefore, you can establish the kind of site a dedicated server would allow on a much smaller budget.

The best part is, a VPS server allows you customization from the onset. You can power your site with a VPS package you design to suit your own needs, then add a time and cost-effective ecommerce system that will cater to all your needs. This means that as your customer base grows, your site will still be able to handle the traffic it receives without you making immediate changes.

Once the growth becomes too much for the initial plan to sustain, you can simply upgrade. The best part is eCommerce VPS allows easy transfer of your payments system and other business services. The benefits of this are a more stable server and easier migration. These advantages result in less downtime. This is good because for every minute your site or payment system is offline, a customer may decide to shop elsewhere.

Apart from flexibility, VPS hosting also provides greater privacy. You are in control, not a web host that has restricted your limits. Hence, you must keep track of your usage. This means increased security for everyone.

Powering your eCommerce needs with VPS Hosting

(The Hosting News) – You may be considering the move from a shared hosting account to something more robust, something that can help bolster not only the Web presence of your small business, but also give you tools for storage, flexibility and secure backups of your data. One of the most popular options now being used by many SMBs is a virtual private server or VPS. But many small business owners are justifiably concerned about how much time and effort they will need to invest into learning how to manage their new VPS, and if it is possible to see benefits from such a service even with little to no IT staff. While no VPS guide can cover all of the options your company can choose from, here is a basic overview of how to get started on your very own parcel of virtual land.

VPS – What You Get

A virtual private server is actually a slice of a physical server that is located off-site. It could be somewhere in the same city as your business, in another state, or halfway across the country. So long as you have a fast and stable Internet connection, and so long as the provider you choose has excellent uptime, the location of the server will not matter – it will be as if you are using a local server, but are able to access it from anywhere, rather than simply your office. VPS providers take their physical servers and portion them out into slices, which are in turn rented to customers like your small business. Each of these server slices operates as if it were independent of all other server slices, despite the fact that they are all physically located on the same machine. This means that your data will not interact with the data or programs of others on the server, and that you will be protected in the event that something happens to their data or if they manage to crash their server portion.

VPS – Many Choices

Any VPS review you read online will talk about the amount of choice that a virtual server offers, in many cases starting with your choice of operating system. Most providers will offer you the ability to work under either the Windows OS or any flavor of Linux you choose, allowing you to stay with what makes you comfortable, or break out of the mold and try something new. In addition to an OS, many plans will come with additional apps to support you – for example, a Linux VPS might come with Ruby on Rails or LAMP per-installed, whereas a Windows VPS may come with Silverlight or ASP.NET.

VPS – Making it Work

Of course, a reasonable cost, high uptime and a great selection of programming does you no good if you can’t use it, and this is where many small businesses become concerned. Without a robust IT staff, there is a fear that the learning curve to use a new technology option will be too steep. But here too providers are picking up the slack, and will often bundle their VPS options with control panels like cPanel or Plesk VPS, which provide intuitive graphical command centers that allow you to quickly manage your server slice. Providers will have a large list of useful apps to choose from, allowing you to easily install and manage what you need in concert with your control panel. And if anything goes wrong, your VPS provider will be there to provide technical support. While moving up from a shared server can be fraught with potential pitfalls, a VPS control panel combination helps smooth your path.

Guide to Business VPS: Expanding your Web Hosting

Not all VPS solutions are created equal, something that you’ll quickly discover as an small or medium-sized business trying to find the best value for your IT dollar. While an upgrade from a shared hosting plan to a VPS will almost always result in a significant performance increase, what you will get from your new VPS hosting provider can vary significantly, depending on what type of server management environment they choose to use. A Hyper-V VPS solution, for example, can provide a number of benefits not found in a “vanilla” server that does not have a Windows VPS hosting solution.

The Role of Hyper-V

Hyper-V for Windows is an effective way of managing a server for several reasons, the first and most important being its role as your hardware. A Hyper-V VPS solution allows this hypervisor to act as your hardware on the server, giving you the ability to install whatever type of OS and business-class applications best suit your needs. The nature of Windows VPS hosting and the Hyper-V design allows your provider to monitor all resource use in a system, and ensure that you always have what you need at your disposal. Hyper-V is meant to entirely virtualize a server, and can bring you as close to a purely dedicated server as possible by giving you control over the type of your OS and what you do with it.

Benefits to Windows VPS Hosting

Aside from the pure power of Hyper-V at a basic level, a Windows VPS solution can provide your business with a number of stand-out advantages that set it apart from other choices on the market. Many Windows VPS options will come with high availability (HA) clustered infrastructure, which allows your VPS to stay up and running even if your hardware goes down. One or more failover clusters attached to the system, each with live migration, will keep your data and applications secure, ensuring that even in the event of a catastrophic failure, live copies will still exist.

Another benefit often found in tandem with a Hyper-V VPS solution is a SAN storage backend. This kind of high-performance storage can often eliminate one of the most common problems with a VPS – I/O bottleneck. Although a VPS server is great at distributing resources, one of the things it cannot predict is how much storage disk input and output its finite resources will require at any given moment. SAN storage in combination with a managed Hyper-V environment can eliminate many of the I/O spikes seen in other VPS systems, giving you access to more reliable and stable performance. Windows Sever 2008 R2 also makes patching and updating a simple and straightforward process that can be easily managed by your provider, and with no downtime suffered by your business. In many cases, Hyper-V solutions can offer 99% or better uptime guarantees because of the stability of this hosting platform.

The Last Word in Hyper-V Hosting

Solutions that are not clustered or highly available, and do not have the kind of SAN storage array that a Windows VPS option can offer will often provide the same kinds of basic performance on the surface that you will see in a Hyper-V managed option. But when push comes to shove, it may not be able to deliver the kind of consistency that you need from your virtualized hardware. By combining the best in failover technology and I/O management, in combination with the ability for you to deploy whatever OS and whatever blend of applications best suit your needs, a Hyper-V solution can give your virtual and cloud hosting a distinct Microsoft advantage.

Windows VPS Hosting with Hyper-V: Cloud Hosting with Microsoft Advantage

Searching out the top VPS providers for your business can often seem daunting, owing to the number of service providers currently available. As VPS hosting has become a more common solution for small and medium-sized businesses, the amount of hosting providers on the Web has increased exponentially.

In truth, all a provider needs in order to start selling server space is a physical server and a broadband connection to the Internet. How the server is maintained, what services are offered and how much an end-user will have to pay are what will set top VPS server providers apart from those who are simply in the industry to make a quick buck. What sets a top VPS server provider apart?

What They Offer and How They Offer It

The first thing that you’ll want to consider when you look for the top VPS hosting providers for your company are what various providers can offer you in terms of cost and flexibility. Cost should be on a monthly basis and may come with an options for quarterly, bi-annually, annual or even longer terms.

Things like uptime and maintenance in the case of server issues should be stated upfront and should be in the form of guarantees rather than suggestions. Top VPS providers will offer a high amount of uptime – 98% or better – and while the cost such performance may be higher, the increased uptime is often worth it.

In addition to looking at what is offered by a company, determining if they fall among the top VPS hosting providers can also be done by looking at how they offer it. Seek out a company’s website and see how they have their information laid out. Is it easy to find? Easy to read? Does it make sense, or is it a mess of technical jargon? See what it will take to contact the company, as well as what kind of options they have for their VPS servers. Top VPS providers will be flexible from the outset, and won’t try to pigeonhole you into a server package that you don’t really need. Also, make sure to look at how quickly their page loads and how smooth the interface is. Chances are, they’re running on their own servers, and if it isn’t performing for them, it won’t perform for you.

Reputation, Expertise and the Client List

Some top VPS server providers will gladly list the high-profile clients that they are working with, while others will rely on their technical expertise to convince you that you should switch to their services. A long history of service in the industry can help to identify a top VPS provider, and the more customers that use the service, the greater the chances that they can provide a robust set of features. A VPS provider’s website, however, will be designed to show you what they think are their best features and won’t mention any of their potential shortcomings. This is where talking to other SMBs about their providers and using the Web to search out information about a VPS host’s reputation can be of benefit. Forums and discussion boards will tell the real tale about a hosting company, and show if they are truly among the top VPS server providers, or if they’d simply like you to think they are.

Top VPS providers will offer you detailed, easy-to-understand information up front, and back it up with services at a reasonable price and have a strong reputation in the industry.

What to look for in the Top VPS Server Providers

One the benefits of a shared hosting account is that the operation of the server, by and large, is managed by the web host. Your website itself is still your responsibility, but pretty much everything else is up to your host. This advantage can also be a disadvantage because it means you have limited access to resources and not much decision-making power when it comes to server configuration.

The amount of flexibility you have in your shared hosting account varies from one hosting provider to the next. For example, some may give you the ability to create .htaccess files or even php.ini files to make local web server configuration adjustments. Others may lock down these features or only allow their usage on more expensive hosting packages.

SSH (Secure Shell) is one such feature that your host may or may not make available to you. The easiest way to find out is to ask before you sign up for an account. The original question, however, was whether you actually need SSH or can do just fine without it.

SSH gives you the ability to access the server’s command line. With a shared hosting account, you will have limited access to commands and will most likely be chroot jailed into your own home directory. System administrators will view any shell user as a potential security threat, so you can expect to be monitored closely.

The reality is, most web-based control panels will give you access to tools like cron jobs without needing a shell account. If you need to perform more advanced tasks and use shell commands, you should make sure you get a web host that will allow them or consider getting a low-cost VPS.

Do You Need SSH with Shared Hosting?

If you have a shared hosting account, you probably do not have a choice in the web-based control panel that you use unless you switch from one web host to another. With a VPS or dedicated server, however, the choice is ultimately yours. If the time ever comes that you want to switch to a new hosting automation system, there are a few things you should know.

Not all hosting control panels use similar technology to accomplish their goals. This is not just a reference to scripting languages. After all, the underlying code could be completely different and still be compatible with other software. The issue here is how the control panel interacts with other software.

For example, some control panels are tightly integrated with services like Apache HTTP Server. Others may even install their own custom versions of the software during the control panel’s initial setup. Therefore, it is important to know exactly how your control panel is setup before you consider attempting to transfer your websites from one to the other.

In the event that it is not possible to directly transfer from one control panel to another, you can still attempt a manually conversion, since the actually content of your website should not be directly connected to the control panel. But if you are hosting several websites, even hundreds, it may be quite a formidable task. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that you will be able to do it without causing some damage to websites, especially if it requires you to use a different file system structure.

Transferring from one control panel system to another can be a major operation, as big as a total server migration. If you must do it, you may want to consider getting outside help to make sure it all goes smoothly.

Moving from One Control Panel to Another